Compression Fractures More Common in Women in Georgia Car Accidents
Two clients recently came to me with compression fractures in the vertebrae of their spine as a result of car accidents and they were both women. As an Atlanta injury lawyer, this got me wondering whether compression fractures from car accidents are more common in women after car accidents and indeed they are.
Women are more likely to have osteoporosis and as a result their spinal vertebrae can be weaker and more vulnerable to the compression forces that can occur in car crashes in Georgia. It turns out that forty percent of women will suffer a vertebral compression fracture by the time they are eighty. (Source: University of Maryland Medical School www.umm.edu/spinecenter )
As with all my cases I get deep into the medicine behind the injuries to maximize the recovery and I thought I would explain what happens in a compression fracture injury here. The normal human spine resembles the diagram below with the vertebrae being separated by the intervertebral discs which act as shock absorbers and allow flexibility.
Compression fractures in car accidents occur when too much force is exerted on the spinal column while it is being flexed in an unnatural way. Vertebral compression fractures usually occur at T11 and T12, which is the bottom of the thoracic region and at L1, the first vertebra of the lumbar region. This is due to the natural curve of the spine. See the image below:
As a Conyers, Georgia injury lawyer I had a client who was injured in a crash in Conyers, Georgia and hers was a lateral crash with the at fault driver striking her at a 45 degree angle from the front. In the Alpharetta, Georgia crash, the client was struck from the rear in a high speed crash.
Most compression fractures do not require aggressive treatment and although they are painful, with a brace and rest the client has a good chance of almost a full recovery. On a case by case basis and depending on age and severity, some clients do experience post-traumatic arthritis though and you should ask your doctor for a detailed prognosis before you decide to settle an injury case involving compression fractures. A compression fracture from a car crash is a serious injury and the case can have a significant value so be sure to speak with an experienced Conyers injury lawyer or an Atlanta injury lawyer before you decide what to do.
For further reading, please see the University of Maryland's website for an excellent discussion of the function of the spine.
